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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Facilitation Consensus Workshop |  Facilitation Decision Jam |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. | When a group needs a solid decision without outvoting individual factions, a Consensus Workshop creates a negotiable common ground. It makes agreement, reservations, and open tensions discussable at the same time. | When a decision is stuck, Decision Jam loosens the knot through structured separation of problem, idea, and selection. The format creates movement without jumping prematurely at the first seemingly elegant answer. | The Software Architecture Canvas reduces a system to the most important architecture decisions, constraints, and interfaces. It is useful when teams need a resilient overall picture quickly. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 1-3 h | 60-90 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 5-30 | 4-10 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Consensus Clusters, Theme Titles, Priority Areas | Problem Cluster, Prioritized Challenge, Experiment | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | FacilitationConsensusWorkshopAlignment | FacilitationDecisionProblem solvingWorkshop | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop |